


Help Wanted

by HerMajestyEffy



Category: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Attempted Kidnapping, F/M, Implied/Referenced Domestic Violence, Past Abuse, Past Domestic Violence, Past Sexual Abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-14
Updated: 2016-11-26
Packaged: 2018-06-08 10:08:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,364
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6850432
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HerMajestyEffy/pseuds/HerMajestyEffy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>‘Oh okay so what do you want?’ He asked her and regretted it when he realized his tone was kind of rude.<br/>‘I don’t know’<br/>‘What…What do you mean you don’t know?You don't know why your calling?'<br/>‘I don’t know.’ she repeated<br/>‘Ma’am are you in danger.’ He started to get worried.<br/>‘Yeah kind of.’<br/>‘Are you in a position where you’re allowed to talk?’<br/>‘No’<br/>‘Do you need me to call the authorities?’</p><p>In other words Natasha is a kidnap victim and the only person she managed to dial for help is Steve,a complete stranger.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Please Leave Your Emergency After The Tone

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Sea Glass](https://archiveofourown.org/works/3432884) by [heyfrenchfreudiana](https://archiveofourown.org/users/heyfrenchfreudiana/pseuds/heyfrenchfreudiana). 



> This work was inspired by a real life 911 call.I tried to find the video on youtube but I can't find.I'll search again but if anyone knows i'll post it.

Steve walked into his apartment after his morning jog. He was out of breath and needed to hydrate himself and take a shower but was stopped by the sound of a phone ringing. He ignored it and went to the kitchen to get himself a glass of water thinking it was one of his roommate’s Tony. When that thought crossed his mind he realized how impossible it would be for Tony to have his ringer on at 7:47am. There is no way he would get out of bed to answer it. Bucky and Sam were out getting breakfast and Clint’s phone was always on vibrate. He sighed and realized it was his and decided to answer the very persistent caller.

 

‘Hello?’ He said.

‘Hi,’ an unfamiliar soft spoken voice answered him.

‘Um I’m sorry but I think you got the wrong number unless you want to talk to Tony?’

This wouldn’t be the first time some girl or even some guy called his phone to talk to the playboy.

‘No, you’re the one.’ The other voice on the line answered him.

 ‘Oh okay, so what do you want?’ He asked her and regretted it when he realized his tone was kind of rude.

‘I don’t know’ the female voice replied.

He was taken aback by her answer. What did that mean? Was this real or a prank he couldn’t tell.

‘What…What do you mean you don’t know? You don’t know why you're calling?’

This was getting weird and he really felt like taking a shower. He was already halfway through undressing, the feeling of the fabric of his shirt sticking to his skin was making him uncomfortable.

‘I don’t know.’ She repeated laughing out of cheerfulness or maybe nervousness he couldn’t tell but something was off about this ridiculous phone call and yet his gut feeling that something was wrong made him unable to hang up.

‘Okay. Uh, are you alright ma’am?’

‘Nope.’

‘What do you mean no?’

‘I don’t know.’ She kept repeating while laughing a little.

Steve tried to understand the situation but he was simply confused and her tone of voice really didn’t help. Thankfully he was a patient and calculating man who knew how to assert a situation calmly.

‘Ma’am are you in danger?’ He started to get worried.

‘Yeah, kind of.’ Her giggles contradicting what she was insinuating but he was smarter than that. Whatever was going on he was sure to get to the bottom of it.

‘Can you tell me what situation you are in?’

She hesitated, ‘I…uh’

‘Are you in a position where you’re allowed to talk?’

‘No’

‘Do you need me to call the authorities?’

‘No…do not hang up.’ The plea in her voice made his heart quickened. He grips his phone a little tighter.

He was going to ask another question but he heard a male’s voice on the other line asking her who she was talking to.

‘I told you I’m talking to my brother.’ Was what she replied with.

He had excellent hearing and he could tell that they were inside a car meaning whatever that was happening he had to get her help quickly. He walked towards Tony’s room and smacked him awake.

**‘Huh! What!?’ he exclaimed being completely disoriented. ‘Dude what the fuck! Why are you shirtless? What happened to your pants? Is this surprise sex because it's way to early?’**

It was amazing how Tony’s condescending tone and sarcastic remarks transcended fatigue and disorientation.

**‘Shhh! Lower your voice. Listen can you track the caller please?’**

**‘Dude what?’**

**‘Just track the caller!’**

Tony wasn’t completely there and Steve was getting impatient.

**‘Okay okay.’** Tony said looking around adjusting his eyes to the sunlight coming into his room **‘What the fuck is going?’**

**‘I’ll explain once you get your ass onto that chair and start tracking the phone.’**

**‘Geez alright’**

Steve put the unknown girl on speaker and gave his phone to Tony. The genius took it and proceeded to sit on his chair and plug it in his computer.

**‘Jarvis run a scan.’** he softly asked while yawning.

**‘Yes, sir.’** The AI answered him

Steve started to grab Tony’s phone and handed it to him.

**‘Prepare to call 911’**

Tony just stared at him still not understanding the situation.

**‘Snap out of your daze and take it.’**

**‘You’re so bossy, you know I’m not good with people handing me stuff especially this early.’**

He tried to ask once more what was going on but Steve just brushed him off by telling him to lower his voice and to pay attention to his orders.

 

‘Hey, ma’am are you still there.’

‘Yes’

‘Okay listen to me I’m going to call the police’ he signaled the playboy at his statement ‘but stay on the line and try to answer my questions as best as you can.’

He somehow had to find a way to get the most out of her without exposing her towards danger. He starting thinking. A random woman calls him up. Meaning she couldn’t contact the authorities. Furthermore, the very fact that she could speak on the phone meant whoever was in the car with her was someone she knew.And the fact that she was in a moving vehicle meant she had nowhere to go.In short,she was being kidnapped.

 

‘If you are in a kidnapping situation say you are coming home late. If not say you’re coming home early.’

‘I’m going to come home late.’

 

In the background, Tony was already on the line with a 911 phone operator.

 

_‘911 what’s your emergency?’_

_‘Uh yes my roommate is currently on the phone with a kidnap victim I think.’_

_‘He’s on the phone with a kidnap victim?’_

_‘Yes, she’s currently being kidnapped._ ’

 

‘Okay ma’am if you’re in a moving vehicle say you would love to see that movie. If not say the opposite’ he asked her to confirm his assumptions.

Before she could answer, the man the other line was pestering her with questions. He was starting to get suspicious about the phone call and soon he was talking to the man in question.

‘Hello who is this?’ a menacing male voice asked.

‘This is her brother’ he replied firmly.

‘Uh yes sorry…. it’s just she never told me she had a brother’ The man’s voice was suddenly softer.

‘Yeah I just came back into the country and it’s been years since we’ve seen each other that’s why you’ve never heard of me’

 

_‘Sir, can you explain a little more of what’s going on? Who is the lady who is being kidnaped and where is her location?’_

_‘I don’t know who the lady is and my friend doesn’t either I’m guessing she randomly called a number because her boyfriend or something was making sure she wasn’t calling the authorities’_

 

Tony was answering the 911 operator the best he could with the small amount of knowledge he had of the situation. Thankfully he and Steve were good at using nonverbal to communicate with each other. He was multitasking between understanding Steve, talking on the phone and tracking her device.

 

**‘Jarvis found her coordinates. She’s currently in New York state highway 17.’ He showed Steve on his monitor.**

**‘That’s great tell the operator.’ He whispered**

 

Tony proceeded to do what he was told and Steve felt an adrenaline rush. He’s been in a lot of different risky situations before but nothing of this type. He was making small talk with the man who was incredibly charismatic. Wasn’t that one of the traits he read on Buzzfeed on ‘How to Identify a Psychopath’. He never thought all the Buzzfeed articles Bucky was obsessed with would be relevant in the real world. Thankfully, he could carry a conversation with him and not blow his cover.

‘So can I speak to my sis?’

‘Oh yeah sure man. It was nice talking to you’

‘You too. I’m looking forward to meeting you in person.’ Which wasn’t a lie. He would love to meet the jackass who can kidnap someone without any remorse.

He managed to hear the girl’s name when the man addressed her.

‘So your name’s Natalia?’

‘Yes.’

‘Listen we tracked your phone down and we found your location. We gave it to the police but we need you to try and describe the car to us.’

‘Oh that’s good.’ the sound of relief in her voice broke his heart. She must truly be scared. ‘You know when you told me we’d see a movie in a drive-in like in the 1950’s since you loved old school stuff.’

She was talking in code. Steve turned to his friend.

 

**‘Tony, what does this mean? He owns a vintage car?’** he whispered

**‘No, I think she’s referring to the commercial that’s been showing on television lately. Ask her if it’s a 2016 Mercedes-Benz G-Class Car.’**

 

Natalia, is it a 2016 Mercedes-Ben G-Class Car?’

‘Yes.’

‘Okay good, what color is it.’

‘You know I don’t want to see men in black again.’ She answered him laughing.

From an outsider’s perspective, she sounded like she was having a pleasant conversation about going to the movies with her brother she hadn’t seen in a long time. She was a great actress.

 

**‘It’s black.’** He told Tony who nodded and proceeded to tell the operator.

 

_‘Hello yes, I’m still here. The car is a black 2016 Mercedes-Benz G-Class Car.’_

_‘Okay. Is there any way she could tell you the license plate?’_ The operator asked

 

**‘Bro can she try and tells you the license plate?’**

**‘I don’t know it’s going to be hard for her to tell me in code.** ’ Steve responded **.**

 

‘Natalia, is there any way you could try and tell me the license plate number?’

‘My favorite actor is Chris Evans. I just love him with Scarlett. You know the movie they made together the First letter of your name it made me cry.’

‘CES?’

‘Yes’

He was surprised at how good she was at this. Suddenly two other of his roommates barged into the room making loud noises.

 

‘Dude Tony how many times do I have to tell you to buy your own plumbs if you love it so much but don’t touch mine!’ a tall man with shoulder length dark brown locks with scruffy facial hair and a prosthetic arm yelled.

Tony threw the nearby object at the man to silence him but it accidently hit the other guy that was living with them.

‘Ow! What was that for?' Sam asked.He was a dark-skinned man with darkly brown eyes and a Gotye.

‘Bucky, Sam shut up.’ Tony loudly whispered

‘Steve what’s going on?’

 

Sam tried to ask but he was only met with a gesture of silence.

Steve was worried that Natalia’s boyfriend could hear all the commotion on their side but before he could say anything yet another one of their roommates barged in.It was Clint another man with short brown hair and blue eyes.

‘Guys we ran out of toilet paper just so you know.’ he said.

Sadly, the man was met with the entire room telling him to shut up and a foreign object being thrown at his head.

‘Ouch! What the hell?’

‘I don’t know they are the one telling us to shut up’ Bucky told him.

Steve was too preoccupied with trying to hear what the woman was saying to answer their questions.

‘I think Chris is 34 and Scarlett is 32 but I might be wrong.’ Natalia continued speaking.

‘Tony it’s CES-3432’

_‘Got it. Hello yes the license plate is CES-3432’_

_‘Alright thank you this is great.’_ The operator said _‘Attention all units we got a person reporting a kidnap in progress. Two individuals one man and one woman. The woman is the victim and the ethnicity of the individuals are unknown. They are in a black 2016 Mercedes-Benz G-Class Car last seen in New York state highway 17…’_

 

 

 The three men who were left in the dark were shocked to hear the conversation that was going on. Tony too tired to explain to them while Steve was reassuring the lady on the phone that everything was going to be okay.

After a while of them being silent and listening to what was going on speaker, the guys heard a faint sound of police sirens and cursing coming out from the kidnapper in question.

 

_‘Get out of the vehicle! Get out of the vehicle! Put your hands in the air!’ The voices of police officers were heard._

_‘Oh my god! Oh my god…’_ Natalia said her voice muffled

_‘I said put your hands in the air! Get on the ground! Now!’_

_‘Thank you so much. Oh my god thank you.’_ Natalia whispered, she was sobbing and was extremely grateful that she came out of this alive.

 

Steve and Tony both let out a sigh of relief and the other three were stunned by the what they had just witnessed. Steve had chills. He was so happy that the girl ended up being safe. Everything could have gone downhill so fast.

‘Thank you I got to go but I can’t thank you enough’ Natalia said while they were police officers talking with her in the background

‘I’m just glad you made it out in one piece. Would you…mind calling back when everything has died down?’ he asked feeling embarrassed not sure if his request was legitimate.

‘Yes of course definitely! I’m sorry I have to go bye’

‘Bye’

 

‘Dude what the hell?’ Sam asked

‘Don’t ask me I just woke up.’ Tony replied nonchalantly

Steve let out a small laugh while looking at his best friend heading towards the bathroom. He just went through that yet he was so composed compared to him who was restless. Everything felt so surreal.

‘Man, you’re like a hero.’ Bucky told him

He just smiled feeling incredibly happy that out of all the people she could have randomly called. She called him.

‘Dude what the hell! There’s no more toilet paper!’

‘I told you!’ Clint yelled back.

The others left the room to continue their routine but Steve just sat there. Truly feeling like reality was altered and then something hit him.

‘Hey, Tony get out of there I need to take a shower!’

‘You snooze you lose golden boy!’

This was the start of something big. He just didn’t realize it yet.


	2. Please Press 9 to Bury Your Crime

Workers at the police station were walking in and out of the waiting room eyeing Steve and his friends suspiciously. He couldn’t blame them they looked like a bunch of weirdos. Steve was pacing around, back in forth looking like he was ready to punch someone. His clothes were a mess compared to Tony’s who cleaned up nicely. He,on the other hand, looked chic, wearing a nice suit that was color coordinated along with his yellow tinted glasses.His nice appearance was overshadowing the fact that he was basically living on his 7th cup of coffee and it was barely 2 pm. He could have passed the ‘normal looking’ test but since he was working on Bucky’s prosthetic arm he just looked tired and out of place. Speaking of Bucky, he was the weirdest out of all of them. Sitting in his chair with no left arm, angrily staring back and forth between the man who was fixing it and Sam who refused to look at him while upholding the most serious expression ever. And then there was Clint,who had a stack of papers on his lap and was working hard reading and writing on each of them.

 

Eventually, a woman came into the room walking towards Steve.

‘Maria it’s nice to see you again.’ He said to her.

‘Likewise. I was just-’ her words were cut short when she took notice of his friends, ‘Um what’s with Bucky and the gang?’

‘Ignore it. It was a long and stressful car ride.’

‘Speaking of stressful you got flour on your face.’

He blushed, feeling embarrassed and proceeded to wipe off the powder.

‘Sorry, it was chaos at work.’

‘Looks like the bakery business is going well for you.’

‘It is. Although I do miss working here with you and the others.’

She smiled at his words.

‘We miss you too Steve. But I’m happy you found your calling. Anyway, I just came to inform you that we no longer need to interrogate you on the matter.’

Steve frowned at her statement, that wasn’t how protocol worked but he let it slide since like they both said, he didn’t work there anymore.

‘Okay but you’ll still need me as a witness don’t you. For when this case goes to court.’

‘That won’t be necessary.’

They both stood there looking at each other.She wasn't giving him any more information and he wasn't buying the lie she was giving him. Maria suddenly leaned closer and whispered to him.

‘Stay out of this one. You no longer have the authority to questions things. Don’t put your nose where it doesn’t belong.’

‘Oh, I see. You’re still corrupted aren’t you? Burying people’s cases just like in the past. I thought you were better than that Maria. I guess now that I’m gone and Fury’s back, you’re his dog once more.’

She was shocked by his words but the hurt in her eyes only lasted a few seconds before she went back to her poker face.

‘There are things you don’t know Steve and there are other things that are better left unsaid. For your own good I suggest you stay as far away from this case and more importantly keep Bucky away.’

‘What does Bucky got to do with this?’

As he said that another woman approached them. A redhead with wavy shoulder-length hair, wearing a black jacket, dark skinny jeans and a pair of boots.

 ‘Here comes Natalia’ announced Maria

 

He was surprised to find that the women on the phone during the incident was the same women walking towards them. Even though Maria had no reason to lie to him about that, he simply expected someone else since the lady’s presence made it seemed like she owned the place. He just assumed she was a newcomer at the station.

‘Steve this is the women in question. I’ll let you two talk. Fury needs me.’

At that, Maria left the room and he was left alone with the redhead.

‘Hello, so you’re Natalia I presume.’

‘Indeed I am. I just wanted to thank you for saving me earlier today.’

The woman was giving him a radiant smile,that made her cheekbones stand out.

‘It was no problem but I didn’t do it alone if I didn’t have my friend Tony to track your phone.'

He turned to point towards his best friend and was exasperated at the ridiculousness they were showing in front of her.

 **‘You need to stop glaring at me you’ll get wrinkles.’** Tony informed Bucky.

**‘Shut up.Just fix my arm so I can go back to hating you.’**

**‘I don’t know why you're mad at me like I said I didn’t eat your plums.’**

**‘I know you did, along with my strawberries, my watermelons, and my blueberries. On top of that, you even used up my conditioner. Look at my hair this is what happens when I don’t condition!It gets all greasy!’**

**‘Okay I’m guilty of the blueberries but the rest wasn’t my doing.Also, your hair is greasy because you shampoo every day which is ludicrous.Plus,how do you know he didn’t do it? I mean it wouldn’t be a stretch I’m fixing your arm because of him’** Tony pointed towards Sam.

 **‘It was clearly an accident.’** Bucky replied with.

**‘He literally looked you in the eyes and took your arm and pulled it off’**

**‘He was clearly delusional from the stress’**

**‘Nope,I did it on purpose.’** Sam informed him

 **‘The work is taking a toll on him.’** Bucky said ignoring his statement.

Tony just sighed and proceeded to put Bucky’s arm back in place.

**‘Listen I don’t know what happened between you two but you need to fix it.No more taking his arm off Sam.I will be making you a new one anyway.I'm thinking a metal arm would be cool. One that will be connected to your nerve system so you'll be able to experience touch and that won't need to be detachable.’**

 

‘Your friends seem interesting’ she noted.

‘I am so sorry. I promise we're not that weird.’

‘That’s okay considering what you did this morning; I think you can afford to be weird.’

Steve just smirked at her,she was a pleasant person to talk to.

‘Hey speaking about that thanks for calling back.'

Natalia could see the genuine worry in his face.Seeing him so honest with his concern for her was off-putting.This was the first time she met someone that cared about her even though she was a complete stranger to him.

' Hey, I’m just wondering if you know why I don’t need to be interrogated? Shouldn’t I be questioned?’ Steve asked.

‘Oh um I’m not pressing charges’

‘This isn’t a matter of you pressing charges or not. What he did was an indictable offense. Whether you want to lock him up or not isn’t up to you.’

Normally Steve would not be so pushy and demanding,especially with this type of situation.He was in front of someone who just went trough hell a couple hours ago.He should be more understanding and less intrusive but as the past superintendent of the police department and Maria's odd behavior he knew something wasn't right.

‘I think you are mistaken. This was all a misunderstanding.’

‘How is being kidnapped a misunderstanding?’

‘The situation is complicated. Considering I have an interpersonal relationship with the accused it’s safe to say we won’t be going to court. Like I said, it was a misunderstanding’

Her words were firm and incredibly scripted.He didn't believe any of them.Even if her sentence was a clear indication that she no longer wanted to partake in this conversation,his stubbornness wouldn't let him.

‘Then why did you say I was saving your life?’

Before she could reply a blonde women walked into the waiting room heading towards the coffee machine. She greeted Steve as she walked by.

‘Hey handsome.’

‘Sharon nice to see you again.’ He responded to her.

Looking at her making herself coffee made him realize something. If anyone were to tell him what was truly going on,it would be her. He turned towards Natalia and left her on one simple note.

 

 

 

 

‘You’re a terrible liar.’

 

* * *

 

‘Sam’ Steve called out.

‘Hey, what’s up.’

‘Listen things are weirdly unfolding.’ he whispered to him.

‘You think the higher ups are up to no good again?’

‘Definitely. I’m going to try and get some more info while you take Bucky out of here.’

‘Sure man,you can count on me.’

Steve watched his friend walk towards the group,taking his jacket and preparing himself to leave as he made sure Sharon was still nearby.Thankfully she still was.

‘Hey, I think its best if we leave. We have big orders remember. I’ll keep the bakery going while you help Jessica at the flower shop. Poor girl is all alone in there.’ Sam exclaimed.

‘You’re right. Will Steve be okay?’

‘Yeah man don’t worry let’s go.’

Steve saw Tony about to leave with them but he signaled him to stay behind.

‘Uh Clint and I are actually going to stay here to support him and they probably need to interrogate me as well.’ He said while stopping Clint from getting out of his chair.

 

Once the two-man left, Steve approached the remaining ones.

‘Guys I need you to do me a favor. Keep Natalia busy while I get some information out of Sharon.’

‘By busy do you mean get some info out of her as well?’ Clint asked.

‘Yes, there’s something weird that’s going on. She’s refusing to press charges and Maria informed me that they aren’t charging him for kidnapping either. I’m just –

‘Concerned. I mean if she goes home with that guy it's bad news’ Tony finished his sentence for him

‘Classic case of an abusive relationship.’ the other man added.

 

 

 

 

‘Thanks, I knew you guys wouldn’t let me down.’

 

* * *

 

‘Hey Sharon, got a minute.’

‘Sure. I always got time for you. What’s up?’ she said taking a sip of her coffee.

Sharon was a beautiful long haired blonde woman with brown eyes and the perfect person to extract information from.'Database' was the nickname Tony gave her.She had a knack of being friends with the right people and being at the right place at the right time and that was beside storing the exact information one may need.

‘Well besides coming here for saving someone from kidnapping,I'm not doing much’ he told her.

‘Yeah, you are quite the hero. I was surprised when I heard Tony on the line when he called.’

‘Wait I thought you no longer did emergency phone calls.’

‘That’s right I got promoted to dispatch head supervisor, but on some occasions, I take over a 911 phone call. Sheryl was having trouble doing this one so I replaced her.’

‘Sheryl?The one with the lip piercing right?Yeah, I get it I mean it’s hard to not be overwhelmed by the work.’

‘Yeah thank God we have Helen.’

‘Oh for sure the station would be going insane without her and the crisis team.’

‘Indeed. I'm surprised Tony didn’t recognize me.’

‘Oh, he’s a mess in the morning. Plus, he pulled two all-nighters and is still recovering from drinking only coffee and vodka.’

‘Oh my god if he didn’t have you to keep him balanced he wouldn’t leave the house.’

‘Yeah, he's immersed in his work. We all are, some guy came into our store not to long ago and we have to plan the biggest order of the year and it is stressing us out.’

Steve turned his head to make sure Tony and Clint were indeed keeping the redhead busy

 

 

**‘Hello there I’m Tony and this is Clint you must be Natalia?’**

**‘Call me Natasha and yes it’s me. Your friend told me about you. You’re the one who tracked my phone thank you.’**

**'You're welcome it was very simple really.The bigger question is if you're okay?I mean out of all the people who you could have called you,you ended up calling an ex-superintendent and a tech genius.'**

**'Wait he was a superintendent?'**

**'Yeah, he basically owned the place.He's quite famous around these parts.'** Clint told her

 **'He now owns the bakery across the street.So if you are ever in need of help because certain people aren't giving you any,nobody can help you better then he can.Here give us a call if you ever need anything.'** Tony informed her,giving her the Steve's and his number.

**'What makes you insinuate that I'm not receiving the help I need here?'**

**'Were just saying if you ever need anything we could make things happen?'** Clint said

 **'That's the definition of insinuating.'** Natalia replied while giving the brunette a small smile.

**'Jesus Christ,Clint way to be discreet.'**

**'What don't blame me I'm deaf remember.It's hard to read her lips and  catch some of her words when she talks so fast.I couldn't tell what she fully said'**

**'Anyway like he said.If something happens when you go home to lover boy you know who to call.'**

 

'Anyway listen, Sharon,I've wanted to talk to you because I heard something quite weird'

'You heard that the kidnapper will be released without any repercussions.'

Steve was taken aback by her answer.He didn't realize he was that obvious.

'Steve come on.We've dated and as far as I'm concerned were still on good terms with each other you don't have to deceive me for information.'

He was upset at himself when he heard her words.She was right.Sharon was always dependable and always had his back.He didn't need to walk on eggshells around her nor did he need to hide the truth from her.

'Tell me are they burying the cases just like before?'

'All I know is that this case is an exception and needs to be buried.I know you worked hard when you were here to stop the corruption,but don't even try to pin this on Fury like before,even he has his hands tied.'

'Really now?I find this to be all to coincidental.Fury allowed the corruption in the police department in the first place.He and Maria buried cases for years and nobody did anything.I finally stood up to him and replace him as superintendent.One day I'm asked to send my resignation letter and then he comes back and the cases start to get buried again?'

Sharon's expression suddenly turned sad.She looked at him with pity.She was one of the few people who knew that Steve was asked to resign and one of the fewer people who actually knew why.

'Steve...'

'No, I don't want to hear excuses.This girl got kidnapped,what could possibly make him untouchable?God forbid she called someone else for help,she could have died.'

'I understand,but all I know is that he's a really powerful man.He made one phone call and Fury was completely silenced,believe me, I was there the expression on his face was one of pure anger.'

Steve was clearly unhappy by her words and was shaking his head.He looked behind him and noticed Natalia and tall raven haired man walk with her towards the exit,while his two friends were making their way towards him.Sharon touched his arm to grab his attention once more and told him something that truly made him realize how lucky he was to have her.

'Give me at least a week to gather more information.I'll come to the bakery and give it to you.'

 

 

 

 

'Thank you, Sharon, I can always count on you.' He was truly delighted and gave her a kiss on the cheek before walking towards the exit with his friends.

* * *

 

Steve was at the bakery with Sam trying to renegotiate with their new customer who was the result of all their stress.

'So you like cats?'

'Sam...' Steve warned

'What?Dude comes in our store telling us to finish all our current orders and to decline all upcoming orders because he wants a huge cat cake and you don't want to know more?'

'Technically it's a black panther.' the stranger said to him with a strong African accent.

The man in question was tall and handsome dark skinned man with an expensive suit and a couple of female bodyguards at his sides.The store was currently on locked down and Bucky was preparing to join the meeting as well.Steve owned a bakery and Sam was one of his employees.The store was clean and bright and was wood inspired.The intriguing design constituted of many undulating wooden slats that practically covered the entire back portion of the shop acting as shelves for storing and displaying their creations.The different splashes of color from the many flowers place around the room and on the tables accentuated the room incredibly well.When one would exit the store,they would encounter two glass doors.One that would lead outside and the other to Bucky's flower shop.Bucky walked over towards his friends.He looked at the portfolio that the customer gave him.Just like Steve,he was asked to create multiples flower arrangements.

'So you want a huge flower cat?'

At Bucky's words, Sam was basically looking at Steve with a knowing expression while the blonde man just pressed his palm against his forehead.He couldn't believe how impolite they were being.

'It's a panther,Buck'

'Okay, but who is he to just come here being all entitled and asking us to put on hold all of our orders?' he asked while Sam nodded his head agreeing with him.

Suddenly,another man came from the kitchen to join the group.His name was Scott another employee with short dark brown hair up in a quiff,facial scruff, and green eyes.

'Okay, guys I just finished the last cake order.Oh, my god!You're highness!it's an honor really,I'm Scott and I've been shaking your hand for far too long.Guys its the King of Wakanda in our store!' he exclaimed looking at his friends all excitedly.

'Wait you are the king of Wakanda?' Bucky asked

'It was pretty obvious he was important by the security.' Steve told him.

'Listen,King or not It doesn't matter he can't come into our store and ask to be prioritized and not even give us any notice.I mean we only found out this morning.' Sam voiced.He hated entitled people who think they could get special treatment.

' Technically my store but yeah.' Steve hated to admit it but the very short notice that they got to drop all their orders and focus only on him was of poor taste he found.

'My sincerest apologies,my people have clearly offended you and put you in a thigh spot.I will scold them for their rudeness.But I would love it if I could hire both your stores for my event as they are one of the best according to someone close to me who truly enjoyed both your creations.'

 

'No problem it would be an honor to- Steve's words got interrupted by his phone ringing in the kitchen.

'Scott take care of it please?'

the man nodded and went to answer his phone for him.

'Sorry,like I was saying we would love to work for you.Do you want us to recreate everything in this portfolio or only certain ones?Also, how many people will be at this event?'

Before the King could answer,Scott came rushing back telling the group of an emergency.

'Boss!there's this girl in need of help,I think her name was Natalia?'

Steve quickly took the phone and answered it.

**'Hello?Natalia are you okay?'**

**'No,I'm sorry to bother you.I'm so stupid but I don't know what to do?'** She was clearly in distress

**'Natalia where are you?'**

'Is she in danger?' Sam tried to ask him

'Is whom in danger?' his highness asked and Bucky proceeded to explain the situation to him.

**'I don't know why I went back to him but I have nowhere to go.'**

**'Natalia I'm going to come and get you but I need to know where you are first.'**

**'You can't come and get me.You don't know who you are dealing with.'**

The phone suddenly got snatched from him.

 

 

 

 

**'On the contrary, he's the one who doesn't know _whom_ he's dealing with.'** The King informed her. **  
**

 

* * *

 

It was almost midnight.Steve was back at his place.The 4 bedroom apartment that was just above the bakery ,was bought by Tony.

He first moved in with him in high school along with Clint and then he met Sam in college and both he and Bucky decided to move in as well and they sorta never moved out.Tony also bought the building next door above the flower shop.Another 4 bedroom apartment where Scott,Jessica,Matt and Bobbi moved in.How they moved in next door was a whole different story.They all had a high paying jobs and handed rent to him at the end of the month so no one felt the need to change things.And now Natalia was the next addition to their family.Steve was standing by the door frame to his bedroom looking at the redhead towel dry her hair.Sam slowly approached him and whispered to him.

'Who the hell brings a girl to a warehouse and has security guards with guns around the perimeter to make sure she doesn't escape?'

'Someone with a lot of power.If we didn't have T'challa I don't know what we would have done.He may have been royalty but not even he could do anything when it came to pressing charges.'

'Yeah I don't know what's going on at the station,but it must be something huge if he's untouchable by the law.'

'Hey, Steve?' Scott called him out from the living room.

Steve approached him.Scott was on the computer hacking the police department files.

'You do realize were outside the law on this one,no matter how good you are they may be able to track  the security breach back to you and you'll be a wanted man.' Steve said to him

'Yeah well,what else is new?' he gave him a small smile and proceeded to explain what he found.

'Listen,there a no data.The only thing I found was the guys name:Ivan Petrovitch and that's all.Nothing about the case,no background on him or Natalia.No trace whatsoever.'

'Who the hell is Ivan Petrovitch?' Sam asked.

At his question,a loud thud was heard from behind them.Steve turned around to find Bucky who just came back,with some takeout that was now on the floor.

'I'm going to see Jessica' he told them as he left the apartment.

'Wait Buck!Hold on.' Steve said as he followed his friend,holding him back and accidently pulling his prosthetic arm off.

'Im sorry.'

'*Sigh*It's okay,Tony is going to make me a new one anyway.A robotic one...'

Steve watched his friend place his arm back to no avail.He was visibly shaken and his tears were blurring his vision.

'I'm going to see Jessica.' he repeated this time as a whisper.

'Buck,tell me what's wrong.What does the name Ivan Petrovitch mean to you?'

Bucky only said one word before exiting the building.

'Hydra'.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if it takes a long time to update i'm recovering from an illness and next month ill be going on vacation.As always im quite flexible if you want a certain ship or have an idea for the fic I'm all ears.I also updated and change chapter one.Only the structure and grammar.To make it easier to read.I didnt know I would get the response I did.Also chapter 4 of Please Refrain From Disobeying Victoria is gonna up soon I hope. :D


	3. Press 7 To Record Your Mistakes?

Natalia was in Steve's room with one of his shirts on as pj's,while he had a plate of apple slices and a glass of juice in his hands.He was too tired and preoccupied with everything that happened today to get flustered over the idea of her wearing his clothes.

-"Im sorry for having to kick you out of your bed even though I would have been fine with the couch." She broke the silence.

-"It's fine and there's no way I'll let you sleep on the couch."

-"I just feel bad for making the both of you sleep on the couch"

Both?He looked at her wondering what she meant by that.

-"Tony?" She hinted at.

-"What makes you think Tony and I share a bed?"

Although she wasn't wrong with that since Tony's room was unliveable,so the playboy started sleeping in his room recently.He was still curious as to how she came to that conclusion.

"Well this is a 4 bedrooms apartment and there's 5 of you."

"Oh no Tony and I aren't like that" he insisted,even though there was that time in college but she didn't need to know that.

"Tony's room has become his workshop so he sleeps here.We also have different sleep schedules,so by the time I wake up,he comes here to sleep...so yeah" he rambled on "Plus Clint's the one without a room,he lives here but sleep with his girlfriend next door to us."

Natalia looked at him amused at how hard he was trying to deny everything

"It's fine,simple mistake."

He stopped talking and looked at her,realising he was getting flustered about the whole thing.

"Anyway goodnight Natalia.If you need me you know where to find me." He left her with a small smile and proceeded to close the door and walk towards Tony's room.

Tony's room was in shambles.They were clothes everywhere.And the bed was full of papers and 3D printing prototypes of what looked like Bucky's new arm.Tony was truly working hard on the design.He's been doing that non-stop for several months when Bucky made a comment on how he made his own prosthetic arm and how it was too expensive to get a new one when it started giving him troubles.He was so dedicated ever since,in making him a one of a kind arm.Meanwhile,he made his current one more mobile with Stark technology.

Steve placed the apple slices,the glass on his desk and then had his hand hovering over the cable cord of Tony's computer.

-"Im unplugging Tony so you better save whatever you got in there"Steve told him with a yawn.

-"Wait!Wait!Thats too cruel!Jarvis save everything twice!" He commanded his AI while franctically signalling the blonde with his hands to not unplug his computer yet.

-"All the files are saved Sir"

After that announcement,Steve unplugged the computer.

Tony,while he relaxed in his chair,turned to face his best friend.

-"That was inhumane you know that.Why are you scared of progress!"  
He exclaimed at Steve,while being handed his sleep wear to change in.

-"Tony I don't have time to argue with you.Just help me clean up the bed and put these papers away so we can go to sleep." Steve told him with another yawn coming.He was truly hit with fatigue.

-"Ugh why do I have to sleep now Im not even tired?I was making a revolutionary discovery on Bucky's new arm.This is Stark technology like you never seen it before.I even made contact with this guy named Stephen Strange,he's an amazing doctor,he's going to help with connecting that arm to his nervous system so he can experience touch again."

Although Tony was full of passion,Steve couldn't handle talking about Bucky.The frustration of his former best friend had become so strained over the years.The thought that Buck was going trough so much,and chose to go confide in Jessica pissed him off a little.Jessica was nice though and very supportive with him.In fact,she was the first person who managed to crack the many layers of ice he built for himself,when they met in group therapy.Which kind of group therapy?To this day,he didn't know or at least didn't want to admit his own suspicions to himself.It's been over 5 years since then,and he still didn't know anything about this new version of him.

"Tony can we not talk about Bucky please.Lets just focus on cleaning up okay.Eat the stuff I brought you and take some sleeping pills because Im going to need you to be awake during the day from now on."

Tony agreed and proceeded to eat from his plate and drink whatever Steve blended in his glass.

"Ew green stuff." He complained after taking a few sips

"That's what you get for not eating during the day.If I give you anything else you won't be able to sleep and you'll wake up with a stomach ache."

"I swear my quality of life has drastically improved since we started living together."

"Really because I feel like mine is on the decline." He replied playfully as he laid down on the now clutter free bed.

After feeling the softness of the mattress,he could finally relax.Tony had the best bed,it was a shame he never used it.After a feeling of anxiety washed over him,he couldn't help letting out a long sigh.

"Burned out?"Tony remarked

"It's just Bucky."

"I thought we weren't going to talk about grumpy face anymore?"

"Yeah I know it's just,I can't stop feeling guilty about what has happened to him."

Steve looked at Tony and contemplated a few minutes about what he was going to reveal to him.They never really talked about what happened ever since he reconnected with his former best friend.

"I never told you this,but remember when I told you,during high school,how I lost contact with him even though we lived together for so long."

"Yeah you grew up with him didn't you?"

They did indeed.Steve was sick as a child and when his mom died,Bucky's mom offered to be his parental guardian.But when she died as well,it was just him,Buck and his older sister.He paused for a while,what he was about to say next truly hurt him.

"We were both orphaned at just 13 years of age.He was going to start high school in the fall and I was stuck in the hospital while his older sister paid the bills.I was homeschooled,for 3 years,thinking that Bucky was enjoying his high school life while he visited me."

But the truth was,all this time,he was hanging with the wrong crowd.Doing all kinds of shady jobs to collect money.If only Steve knew at the time.

"When he turned 16 his sister wanted to move out and he said he couldn't leave me alone with all the hospital bills.He had to stay and pay for it until i got out.Once she left,money started getting real tight as he was left paying for the rent and my hospital bills.He started being in a gang that paid him big money for all sorts of things."

Tony listened carefully to his every word,taking in the pained expression he had as tears threatened to fall from the blonde's eyes.It was then he realised how deeply he was drowning in regret,guilt and sorrow.The genius wondered if he should have been there more for Steve since they've met each other in junior year.

"He joined Hydra."

Tony's eyes widened as he almost choked on his last sip of juice.

"Oh shit Hydra!Once you go in you never get out they are one of the most ruthless gang in New York."

Hydra was infamous across the globe.It first started in Germany as a small group of drug dealers,soon it became overwhelming as Hydra infiltrated practically everywhere globally,being number one in drugs and firearms deals.But what they were the most notorious for:human trafficking.Hydra had this slogan.

"Pay off one debt and two more shall take its place"

Once you owed Hydra one thing,you owed them everything.It was a never ending cycle of being unable to repay them.And when it got really bad,they would sell the person who was unable to repay by any means,to give up their humanity and be sold into human trafficking.

"Yeah I know now,but at the time I didn't.The day I was released out of the hospital,was the start of my junior year where I met you.But the day before,Bucky came and visited.He told me he was going to visit his sister in L.A.He said he was going to be back in a week.He gave me the keys to the apartment and everything.I started school and waited a week but he never came home.I know he was still alive,because I kept receiving hospital bills and copy's of receipts.They were getting paid monthly.An absurd amount I didn't know I owed.The people in my life shielded me pretty well from the horror that is health care in America."

He spit that last sentence out,feeling resentment towards their failed country,towards God,who he didn't believe in anymore,that made him sick in the first place as well as towards himself for being a burden.

The tears finally came.Steve breathe deeply as he let the tears run down his cheeks.Tony didn't know what to do.He didn't know if he had to shove his awkwardness aside and comfort him with physical contact or respect his personal space and support him verbally and knowing himself the only comfort he can give is a sarcastic comment.He hated how he was unable to truly express his care towards others without being condescending like he always was.But this was Steve,who never broke down in front of anyone.And so Tony did the next best thing.

"Apple slice?" he said trying not to sound like he was dismissing his feelings or avoiding the problem at hand.He was mentally screaming at Steve that the apple slices translates to a "Im here for you and your feelings are valid" sort of way.

Steve just looked at the plate Tony was giving him of two remaining Apple slices for a while and then proceeded to take the plate out of his hands.He just stared at the pieces of fruit that we're starting to get oxygenised for a few minutes.And look back at a nervous Tony and proceeded to laugh.

"Thank you." He whispered after a while and ate the last bit of fruit.

Tony let out a sigh of relief at his response of the gesture.He proceeded to close the lights,leaving only the lamp on the the nightstand on and climbed into bed and sat down next to his friend.

"Listen I know I may not have been the best of friends and maybe I should pay attention to your feeling more...?" He said,making air quotes around the word feelings,clearly showing signs of awkwardness about what he just said.

Steve looked at him amused,clearly trying his hardest to open up.

"Tony what are you talking about.When I realise I had no one,I was lost.You gave me a home,somewhere to belong so I'll be forever grateful to you for that.You are my best friend."

Steve's words truly struck something in Tony.

"Listen bro,It's already bad we share a bed,if we keep this sappy fest going you're going to have to change your relationship status to it's complicated"

Steve scoffed at his words.

"You're terrible at interpersonal relationships"

"Speak for yourself!I don't open up to just anyone you know!This is a huge milestone in our relationship" he replied dramatically,which made Steve forget about his earlier melancholy.

"So how are you and Pepper?"

Tony switched his position to lying on his back before replying with  
"Its complicated."

Steve smirked while hitting him with a pillow,which he gladly placed under his head.

"Go to bed we have a big day tomorrow."

After a while Tony fell asleep,feeling the kick of the sleeping pills settle in.Steve was still awake.Still thinking about Bucky and how shaken up he was by the mention of Hydra.Because of him,he didn't have any hospital bills to pay and I didn't owe anyone anything,except Bucky did.He owed Hydra everything.He thought back on how he had to search for him.Tried getting connections and leads.Wanted to become a police officer and investigate if he was still alive.He lost all traces of contact after the bills were paid.He went to so many people with a picture of him.He went to so many investigators and police departments to see if they maybe found his body somewhere.He contemplated all the scenarios;drug overdose,human trafficking,prostitution,him being killed,him being in prison,his body being disposed somewhere etc...

Until one day,he did found him and he could never forget that night.It haunted him every now and then.The memory resided in his brain like a time bomb waiting to explode at unexpected moments and then he would suddenly be hit with anxiety and had to stop whatever he was doing.The amount of time Sam had to take over at the bakery or even when they were in the police force,because he was suddenly having a panic attack was more then he could count.

Even if Bucky was now back in his life and "well",that memory and the feeling associated with them wouldn't go away.And as such, he didn't slept that night,waiting for the long hours to pass while he was filled with regret.

 


	4. "We're coming" ✅ Read at 3:06 am

Steve,Tony,Clint,Sam,Scott and Matt were all in the apartment next door.Matt approached the table and placed a tray of tea cups and a kettle in place and signalled Clint to fill a cup for everyone.

-"Yeah Im going to need something stronger then tea." Tony admitted.

-"It's black tea,I took your terrible life choices into consideration so you don't have to worry about caffeine."  
Matt retorted.

-"Well I could you some caffeine Im exhausted." Added Clint.

-"I can tell.Im hearing the lack of sleep in all your voices."   
Matt said while placing his symbol cane next to the couch rest.

-"The work at the bakery is killing us.It takes hours around to do petals on a huge black panther cake.Plus,the fondant is black so making details stand out is even more crucial." Scott complained.He wasn't able to sleep lately.

-"Yeah I had to go back and forth from the flower shop and the bakery.Were seriously understaffed and stressing to me the deadline."  
Sam chimed in.

-"Yeah I heard the king of Wakanda is planning the biggest event of the year and ordered 3 huge black panther cakes.On top of that he asked you guys to make it look like flower arrangements to match Bucky's decor" Matt was surprised when he heard the news.He would never thought that his friends would get such a special order from royalty.

-"Yeah Im burned out as well.Bobbi and I have got nothing to do,but correcting exam papers."

-"Looks like none of us are catching any breaks for a while." Tony added.

Steve was the only one who stayed silent.He was too busy contemplating things.He finally said something,once he realised everyone was looking at him.

"Listen about the situation at hand that I gathered all of you for.You guys have to understand what your getting into.We all have very stable lives and as far as I'm concerned,we all like how things are right now."

"we've been living together for a long time." Tony remarked.

-"It's been at least a good 5 years for most of us.Tony,Clint and I since high school.Bucky and Sam since college.The rest of you guys came along one after the other and settled in.We're a family."

Everyone listened carefully to what Steve had to say next.

"I've spent my whole life trusting people hoping they will come around for me.My faiths in individuals,I guess and so far none of you had let me down." he told the group in earnestly.He had remarkable group of friends.

"But this time it's different.Were going up against Hydra,for a stranger no less.For others blood is thicker then water,but for me I see that,I am where I am today,because of people who were once strangers." He continued.  
"So Im going to help her.Im going to do everything I can,but I can't ask you guys to put everything on the line for me."

The room was silent.Eventually,Matt spoke up.

"Technically the true saying is;the blood of the convenient is stronger then the water in the womb.Meaning relationship formed by choice are stronger then those made by chance." He looked around the room  
"I think I speak for everyone when we say we're all in."

Steve smiled at the gang and turned towards the hallway and spoke up.

"See I told you.You can come out now."

Natalia came out from her hiding place,visibly moved by what she overheard.

Clint signalled her to sit down next to him and place a hand on her shoulder.

"Welcome to the family."

"Now what's the gameplay?" Scott asked

"The gameplay is that our hands are tied since Ivan is untouchable.I mean I could be her attorney but we'd lose.The corruption will be absolute and he may sue her for defamation at best." Matt explained.

"Hydra doesn't sue people they own their lives." Steve corrected.

"I'm his fiancée.So he already owns me.You should be scared for yourselves."

The whole room turned to look at her when she said that.

"If she's his fiancé then she can't stay here.Its a gurantee that he will come sooner or later and take her back." Sam concluded.

"What if we exchange her for ransom?I have money."

"Hydra doesn't need money,Tony.They want control and domination"

"It's impossible isn't it?" Natalia whispered.

"No its perfectly possible just fucking difficult." Clint said while sipping his tea

"If we're going to cut her ties with Hydra we're going to need stronger connections." Suggested Scott.

"It's not just about having stronger connections.Their weak point is their pride.Hydra wants absolute control and so for them to hand over Natasha,we need to pin something on them." Clint elaborated but Scott was unconvinced.

"What could we possibly have on Hydra?

"We don't need something big to fight against them,just something shameful enough for them to put their egos above all else.And that's where connections from the inside are handy."

Everyone was impressed by Clint's idea.He was always good with these sort of things.

"Bucky's a mess right now there's no way he'll talk." Steve said knowing that's what he meant.

"Speaking about Buck I'll go check up on him." Sam excused himself.

Steve turned his gaze towards him leaving the room and he felt a hint of jealousy at how he replaced him.The minute he found Bucky,he and Sam hit it off and he would tell him everything.The only person who may have the upper hand was probably Jessica.Steve truly wished Bucky would opened up to him again like before.

"Anyway like I was saying,the trick is to have dirt on them that may not be handy for us but for another gang that's going to be on our side of things."

"What if we call Maria for-

"There's no way she'll help us."   
Steve cut Scott off   
"Plus her hands are tied also.If we can managed to at least secure a powerful line of defence,that might be enough for them to back us up without any fear."

"I know a guy." Tony suddenly said

"Me too." Steve announced,looking at him with curiosity as to what status that person had.

"who's yours?" The billionaire asked.

"Royalty.Who's yours?"

Tony smirked at him,enjoying what was about to come next.

"A mafia boss."  
\-------------------------------------------  
Back at the bakery,Steve was taking a break and was sitting on one of the tables alongside Natalia.He place two slices a cake and some earl grey tea for the both of them.The place was closed since they already sold all their pastries and finished past orders.Since taking on T'challa's order,they chose to close the place for at least 2 days so they can only focus on that.Normally,they would keep it open but everyone was so exhausted this week,that he decided they weren't going to bake anything else so they wasn't any need to open the store.Scott was busy making individual petals for the cake he was working on,while Sam assembled the third tier of one of the Panthers.

"Are you sure you should be taking a break you look so busy?" Natalia questioned.

"As much as I'd like to continue working,Im afraid my mind just isn't there lately.Because of that Scott and Sam gotta to do twice the work."  
He confessed while taking a bite of red velvet cake.

"Hey Natasha do you like pineapple on your pizza because there's no way we're cooking anything for lunch?" Scott asked while he was on the line with a pizzeria.

"I don't really like it to be honest."

"Okay great!" He seemed delighted at her response "I would like to order two large pizzas,garlic parmesan as the sauce,with bacon,pepperoni and double pineapple." He proceeded to tell person on the line.

Natasha gave Steve an amused look on how Scott disregarded her dislike for that topping.Steve all too knowing explained that he removes all the pineapples on the pizza of those who don't like it and puts it on his.There was never enough pineapple for him and he refused to triple the toppings because and he quoted him "Never order triple on anything past medium they will rip you off!You may not be able to tell but I can see the difference between double and triple pineapple!"

"You're friend sure is passionate about his pineapples."

"Oh tell me about it,he even made Bucky try it and now he's hooked too.He puts pineapples on everything now." After he said that he realised he meant to ask her something that was bugging him for a while.

"By the way,why didn't you correct me on how I address you?You made everyone call you Natasha,beside myself."

"Oh don't worry about its not that big of deal.I mean you already addressed me as such,the first time we talked,so I didn't feel the need to correct you.Plus,for saving me its your special privilege."

That wasn't the truth at all since she didn't hesitate correcting Tony,even if he helped save her as well.She just dislikes being called that.People calling her by Natalia Romanova always said it with such animosity,she ended up hating her Russian name,yet instead of changing it completely,she opted to just translating it towards a more english version and so Natasha Romanoff was the born.It was still Russian.She could have changed her name completely,but a clean slate was reserved for people who deserved it.And she was far from deserving,to be aloud to forget where she came from.Although,there were still people from her past,up till a certain point,that still addressed her by the former.

Shes fully americanised now,but she still let Steve have a single string tied to who she was before and he didn't even know it.She couldn't help it,she loved the way her name was said in such a gentle and reassuring tone.The first time he called her by name on the phone,it made her feel safe in such a way that she believed if he called her that enough times,the old her she tried so hard to cover up may resurface.And this time without any of the shame and guilt attached to such an authentic version of herself.That he could see the real her and still retain that same gentle tone.

"Okay,Natalia it is then."

They both smile at each other,both starting to get fond of one another.  
\-------------------------------------------  
Steve had learned the following things about the redhead.She owed Ivan a dept for saving her and she stuck with him ever since.The relationship was great at first,but it quickly turned sour and when it came down to finally leaving him,she found out she couldn't.She had nowhere to go and no one to rely on.When she finally opened her eyes and realised she found herself in an abusif relationship,she was already depended on him.Even when she talked about Ivan and everything he put her through,she still remained very respectful about him.He still held so much power over her.The contrast of her body language and her tone of voice when he changed the subject and then redirected the conversation back to him,was subtle and non-existing for the untrained eye.But he caught them and realised all the signs of Stockholm Syndrome applied to her.  
\-------------------------------------------  
"I thought you knew the guy?"Steve whispered to Tony

"Well more like I know he put a price on my head."

"There's a gun pointed at me isn't there?" Matt asked.

They were currently taken hostage,all had their hands up and guns aimed in their direction.

"Well well what do we have here?" A loud,male voice echoed in the warehouse.

"3 intruders,they say they have personal matters to discuss with you,one even called you by name."   
the woman who had a gun pointed at Tony said.

"Nice to see you again goldilocks.Can you tell your henchmen's to stand down?"

"First,you crash into me and now you crash into my territory?" the men replied unamused.

"If I remember correctly,you crashed into me and I got a damaged bumper to prove it."

"It was my right to go."

The two men were bickering back and forth.Steve and Matt thought for sure they were doomed.

Suddenly the man started laughing along with Tony and gave him a big pat on the back that almost knocked him over.

"You have quite the nerve to stand up to me!I like that!I like your spike.Most people coward towards me,it's fun,I like you."

"Im sorry what the hell is going on?" Matt asked perplexed by not being able to see the situation.

"You can lower your hands now,everything is fine i think." Steve reassured him.

The man walked over to Matt and gave him a handshake and to make him feel more at ease,he began introducing himself.

"My name is Thor Odinson,the boss of The Asgardians.Over here are my henchman's.Sif,Hogan,Fandral and Volstagg."

He introduced each one of them and they all responded vocally so Matt could distinguish who was who.

"Okay so we're good?" He asked to have little more reassurance.

"We're more then good Matt.Tony why didn't you tell you me you knew the leader of The Asgardians?" Steve asked

"Mostly because I didn't really know who this guy was,only that he looked like part of the mafia."

"The Arsgardians are a very powerful underground organisation.They are pretty close to Anonymous but instead of hacking in the name of justice,they use a more physical approach." Matt explained

"How do you know this?" Tony questioned.

"If you're a lawyer you know them,since they are the source of many of our cases."

"Their notorious about avenging the worthy as they call it." Steve added.

Suddenly it clicked in Tony's head to who they were.They started a motorcycle gang that protected sexual abuse victims,especially children.They protected them against the predators and even go to court with the victim to give them the courage to testify against them.They are close with Anonymous in dealing with the more illegal side of things.Anonymous gives them information and The Asgardians personally took care of things.When faced with injustice,they managed to give many people voices.They will even go as far as paying an attorney for those who couldn't afford it.The only reason why the gang hasn't been in trouble with the police is their witty way of not leaving any evidence besides fear.Nobody dared to point fingers,but everyone knew it was them.For the most part,the police had their hands tied until they had proofs against the vigilantes.

"So what brings you guys to my domain?"

The three men hesitated to request such a big favour.Steve was to one speak up.

"There's someone we want to protect and you are the only we can rely on."

 

 

 


	5. You've Reached "The Past" Please Leave A Message After The Tone

  
It was late at night and Steve,Tony,Matt as well as Jessica and Natasha,were in the Asgardians headquarters.The men were discussing their plan,while the girls were in the room Thor prepared for the redhead.

"Okay Natasha is safe here,but we still need to get dirt on them." Matt pointed out.

"We'll burn that bridge when we get there,right now we need to scare Hydra while we gather information."  
Tony replied.

"It's i'll cross that bridge when I get to it or don't burn your bridges" The lawyer corrected.

Tony looked at Matt with the most condescending stare until he realise the man couldn't see he was giving him the stink eye.

"Sure if your optimistic.We'llcross that bridge when we get there."  
He said sarcastically

" Are you sure we can ask T'challa to help?"Matt ignored the tech genius comment and turned to Steve.

"I called him earlier,they won't interfere in the same way as the Asgardians,but they will use their influence to get Hydra off our backs for now."

"Listen it doesn't matter what power or back up we have.Theres no way we will all make it out of this alive.This will start a gang shooting,a turf war!How do you plan on beating Hydra?"  
Tony reminded them of the danger of the situation.Now that they were in the warehouse,everything was starting to feel real.And he was getting pissed that no one was willing to address the elephant in the room.

"Together." His best friend replied firmly

"We'll lose."

"We'll-

"We'll what?We'll do that together too?." Tony cut him off before he could finish his sentence,knowing what he was going to say.

"so what your backing out?"

It was Steve's turn to get the "are you fucking serious!" Look from Tony.  
He just gave a small laugh,he couldn't handle how everyone was treating the situation like a walk in the park or a slight inconvenience.

"I don't know about you,but I'm not planning on dying.Your schedule may be clear Steve but I like being alive oddly enough!"

Steve didn't know what to say.

"Matt do you plan on dying?" Tony asked.

"We'll in the name of justice yeah.Although,that would suck big time." He replied,then contemplated some more about the seriousness of it all and continued with "C'est la vie.Whatever happens,happens."

Matt was always an easy going guy who went wherever life took him and faced his problems head on.Taking risk was his speciality.So much that he received the nickname DareDevil.

Steve was thinking as well.He always acted on impulse,even when he was in the force.For him,putting his life on the line never needed a second thought.And he remembered that his friends actually valued their lives.Not to say that he didn't like his life,but he didn't really cared about it either.It was a good 3 years since his supposed recovery of PTSD,  
depression,anxiety and all the other stuff that was suffocating him.  
And yet,even when his life was far better then before,feelings and memories still haunted him.

"Maybe I should go back to therapy" he thought.  
\-------------------------------------------  
Jessica was preparing to go to sleep.She insisted in keeping the redhead company for the night.She had her sleeping bag prepared,but stayed awake with an anxious Natasha.She on the other hand,didn't even change her clothes and was just sitting on the edge of the bed just staring at the ground.Jessica got up to sit next to her.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing,just...worried a little bit"

Jessica could tell she was lying.She had the same expression she once held when she got herself in an abusif relationship.

"You miss him don't you?"

Silence.

"You feel guilty of getting all the guys involved in trying to save you when you're not even sure you want to be saved."She continued.

Those were Natasha's exact feelings and she felt terrible,burying her face in her hands trying not to cry.

Jessica instantly took her in her arms and rubbed her back,while calmly stating the words she learned in therapy.

"Don't apologise for how you feel,Nat.There is no such things as bad emotions,but there is such a thing as bad expression.You know you can't go back to him do you?"

Natasha responded with a nod.

"I know it's hard and right now you may feel like he's the only one you've got and without him you have nothing,but the truth is you have all of us."

Another nod.

She was maybe agreeing,but when she looked up at the raven haired girl, her eyes told a different story.

"You're completely in love with him aren't you?"

"Im sorry" the redhead was full of sorrow.

"Nat." Jessica whispered.She truly related to her at the moment.

"Im sorry,but I love him." She repeated softly "I love him,I love him,I love him."

More tears were running down her cheeks.

"I love him."  
\-------------------------------------------  
The next day Bobbi came to pick Natasha up.It took a lot of arguing with Thor that nothing was going to happen to her and she couldn't be locked up all day.In the end,he finally let them go on the condition that one of his men tailgated them along the way,in case of emergency.

Bobbi was driving and gave Natasha a new phone that she brought with her.

"Courtesy of Tony.You're going to need it since you don't have a phone anymore."

Natasha took it and silently stared at it.

"Jessica asked him to modify it so it untraceable."

What she meant was,so she could contact Ivan without danger.It sparked a heated argument between Jessica and Tony,but he finally accepted when she pointed out how the redhead would try to contact him anyway.Better safe then sorry.

Natasha truly started to consider her as a true friend.She was the only one who understood how she was feeling and what she was likely to do.

"So where are we going?" She asked

"The Safe House"  
\----------------------------------------  
The Safe House was the name of a school and foster home for people with special needs.The organisation also offered a lot of programs for those who couldn't afford it,including for the paraplegic and the homeless.Natasha got out of the car and admire the gigantic building in front of her.

The plate on the the gate read "Property of Clint Barton & Barbara Morse"

"Yeah we truly worked hard to achieve this." Bobbi said enthusiastically.

The building was obviously remodelled to look like a house and not a huge apartment building.From the outside it still retain certain elements,but once inside,it was definitely one big house.It was kinda secluded from the rest of the city and relatively peaceful for the the folks living there.The only sound that could be heard were some of the kids playing in the front yard.

The ladies walked through the doorway,greeting some of the residents along the way to one of the rooms that was labeled a classroom.

"Ah you guys are finally here I see."  
Clint was sitting on a chair by a desk grading some papers.

"So you teach these kids here that's very noble." Natasha asked.

"Only the deaf,mute and blind ones.Bobbie leans more towards kids with learning disabilities as well as assisting some adults in their everyday lives."

"There are many more programs we offer and other employees that work for us." Bobbie added.

"This is truly amazing."

Natasha was in awe at what they were accomplishing,the peacefulness in the atmosphere and the happiness radiating off of the people she greeted was wonderful.

She felt so little compared to them.They were people in the world who did such amazing things while her ledger was dripping in blood.

Bobbi and Clint noticed the sudden melancholy in her expression and looked at each other worried.

"Um how about we go and meet the kids yeah?They will be so happy to meet you!" The blonde spoke up.

"Yeah and you don't have to worry about safety.You can unwind knowing that security here is taken care off." Clint added insinuating something that Natasha didn't quite understand but decided to let it slide.

\----------------------------------------  
Steve,Sam and Scott were in the police department.In Fury's office no less.The tension in the room could be felt by everyone which made Sharon uneasy,while Maria avoided eye contact with the three suspects.Steve and Fury just stared each other down,trying to get the other to crack.After a few minutes of unbearable silence,Fury couldn't take it anymore and gave up.

"I know one of you broke into the our files!" He spoke up while mostly looking at Scott.

"Maybe we did or maybe your just delusional!"Steve remarked.

"Am I Rogers?Because we have proof."

"No you don't because if you did we wouldn't be here playing good cop,bad cop with you and Maria." Sam added

"Yeah what he said!If you had proof we'd be in handcuffs." Scott chimed in obviously being the most nervous between the three of them.

Fury just sighed and sat down in his chair looking at the three men.

"Maybe Captain Rogers-

"Maybe Captain Rogers nothing,Sharon." Fury cut her off."He isn't Captain anymore." He added.

Finally,Maria spoke up.

"I think it's best you resign,Carter."

The whole room turned to Maria in disbelief,except Fury who wanted to hear where she was going with this.

"Obviously,your close relationship with Cap- I mean Rogers puts you in a compromising situation.So until this is cleared,we're going to have to let you go."

Fury agreed nodding his head,while giving a swift motion of his hand for her to hand over her badge and her firearm.

The hurt look on Sharon's face while she turned her badge in,all that she accomplished being gone,made Steve feel incredibly guilty.

  
After they were all dismissed,Sharon walked towards the guys,now unemployed but was held back by Maria.

"I fired you to protect you.Whatever info your about to give to Steve would have been traced back to you and you would've truly been fired."

Sharon nodded in understanding while the other walked away,leaving her with only an envelope full of information.  
\-------------------------------------------------------  
"I am so sorry."

"Don't sweat it Steve,it was a good thing that I was fired."

"I just feel so bad,you got me so much information in only three days,instead of the one week we discussed and it costed you your job."

He remembers how proud she was when she told him she got promoted to head dispatcher.How hard she worked towards that.

"Well it turns out Im not the only one looking out for you."

Steve gave her a questioning look wondering who else had his back Im the NYPD.

"The truth is,someone had your back,way before I did."

"Maria?" He asked

"It was meant to be kept a secret.No one actually knows why you were forced to resign except a select few,including Maria,Fury and myself."

"Yeah I was on the verge of stopping Hydra and suddenly I lose my job the next day" Steve responded still bitter about being in the dark on that one.

"It's because of Bucky."

"Buck?"

"Steve how do you think he managed to escaped Hydra's grasp on him?"

"Well I obviously helped him I mean Sam and I worked hard to-

"No" Sharon whispered shaking her head.

A heavy silence lingered between them before she spoke up once more.

"Do you remember why the NYPD was called upon that night?"

"There was a gang shooting that almost caused a turf war.Bucky was there as well."

"Yes" she nodded "But what you don't know is that the gang shooting between Hydra and the Madarins cause two people to die that night."

"A lot of people died that night.Gang shootings causes casualties" He refuted not understanding any of this.

"No you don't get it.The location was in Time Sqare and a lot of important people end up there." She spoke slowly so Steve could truly comprehend what he was about to uncover.

"The wrong people were killed that night,Steve...

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I said in my latest fanfic "The 4th Wife" Im incredibly sick so I can't guarantee finishing any fanfics.More chapters out probably later tonight of Tomorow when Im done correcting.For those reading "Please Refrain From Dispbeying Victoria" I will update that next soon.As well as "The 4th wife" thank you for understanding

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for all the support I updated!


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